Chris Sutton: The shifting parts of Norwich City's defence

The club's transfer window epitomised this, with no player arriving over the age of 23 as Johannes Hoff Thorup and Ben Knapper's clear desire to pivot the club in another direction shone through their business. 

As far as I can see, there doesn't need to be a trade-off between one or the other. Both groups of players will be absolutely pivotal to their success. Young talent cannot flourish without experienced heads, but those older pros need the energy of the youth to excel. 

That balance can be evidenced at present through Norwich's central defensive partnership at Coventry in Shane Duffy and Callum Doyle. That duo is proof of the upsides of having experience and youth working in tandem successfully. 

In Doyle, City have uncovered a defender who has shown a high-performance level in the season's opening weeks. He feels settled in their back four as a central defender despite some outings at left-back. 

A lot of the top Premier League clubs loan out players based on playing style and where best they feel their development will be suited so the fact Manchester City chose Norwich as the next stop for him is a huge feather in Knapper and Thorup's cap. 

He has had a good start, but consistency is important, which will prove his potential Premier League credentials. He is young but has been around for a while. This is his fourth Championship loan spell - that's incredible for someone who is just 20.

His aim will be to get into the Manchester City first-team by pushing out the likes of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji into the central defensive positions. That's going to be difficult, but all he can do is perform at a high level. He has no time to waste. 

It's been a good start, but he must maintain those standards in his development. That is the toughest thing for any player to do. If he can, then this will only be a fleeting stop at Carrow Road - one that is mutually beneficial to both parties. 

The early glimpses of him this season suggest that he will want to play at a higher level next year, be it at Manchester City or elsewhere in the Premier League. 

But Doyle's early performances have arrived due to having experience alongside him in Duffy. 

The Irish international isn't a natural ball-player in the same way as Doyle, but his leadership, know-how and aerial capabilities means he remains an important player for Norwich. There are limitations in possession, but it is about whether the pros outweigh the cons for Thorup. 

He started slowly, but Duffy's performances have improved every week. That is partly down to Doyle's presence, but it also feels like he is beginning to grasp Thorup's demands. 

At Nordsjaelland, Thorup's captain was 35, and he has spoken about the importance of blending experience and youth. Age is just a number — it is about the qualities and characteristics that players can impart to the team, not about how many years over 30 they may or may not be. 

Some of the experienced players have been criticised, with Duffy and Grant Hanley probably receiving the brunt of that. I would be very cautious about dismissing the senior players. It doesn't need to be one or the other moving forward. 

Given Norwich's desire to be sustainable and need to sell players to do so, pivoting to a younger group makes sense. The idea is to get players in young, develop them, and sell them for a big fee. That's fine as a model, but you need balance. 

Having experience doesn't hurt, and role models are crucial to young players. I certainly saw that as a young player at Norwich in strong dressing rooms and then at the other side of my career when I got older. 

That is why, particularly with the discourse around Hanley, I wouldn't be rushing to push him to the exit door at Norwich. It still doesn't feel like the end for him at Carrow Road. 

Fans are quick to hammer players like Jon Rowe, who are desperate to leave the club and take drastic action to make it happen, and they are right to do so, but then, on the other hand, they sweep players to the exit who have shown great service. You can't have it both ways. 

Hanley has been phenomenal for Norwich. In the last Premier League campaign, he was one of the few players to emerge with any real credit owing to his performances and contribution. 

He has had a tough time with injury and form - but it doesn't feel terminal. I would be absolutely shocked if Hanley didn't have a say in how this season unfolds for Norwich and plays a key role in what Thorup is attempting to build at the club. 

That doesn't necessarily mean he will be as prominent on the pitch as he once was and there isn't a comfort when it comes to playing out from the back, but to place him on the scrapheap feels premature at this stage. 

He has been unfortunate with the injury. It's difficult to come back when you get to the latter end of your career after a major lay-off. There is that expectation because of the player he was in his pomp — he is a player with great pace, and that hasn't been seen in the same way since his Achilles injury. 

There will still be a hunger and desire to get back. I wouldn't write him off just yet. 

All of this is proof that City's defence is building under Thorup. They still have Jose Cordoba to drop into the mix, and Brad Hills has impressed in pre-season and has been kept in the building. 

The most important thing, and Thorup has spoken about this, is to have balance in your team. It does feel like it's coming together. Supporters are beginning to believe without getting carried away, and that result at the CBS Arena was a much-welcome step in the right direction.

Johannes Hoff Thorup will take encouragement from City's first win against Coventry. (Image: Paul Chesterton/Focus Images Ltd)

BUILDING FOUNDATIONS

It's been a really difficult start for Johannes Hoff Thorup at Norwich City, it was always going to be with the comings and goings in the transfer market. 

Then, add the Jonathan Rowe situation, Abu Kamara's transfer request, and the loss of Gabriel Sara to Galatasaray to the mix and it magnifies the struggles. In all of that, he is trying to implement a new style of play on the training pitch whilst getting buy-in from the squad. 

Every manager needs that first win to get the players properly on board. To do that at Coventry, against my old teammate Mark Robins, was an excellent result. That is a very difficult place for any side to win in the Championship. 

It was a big result. Everyone has gone into the international break with relief but also a bit of a bounce in their step. 

The only downside is that you want the games to keep coming when you get that first win. The two-week break has halted the momentum that would have been present if Norwich played again soon after. 

In the Championship, the issue is that it's relentless. That's great when you're winning and have confidence, but it can be hard to break the cycle the longer any team goes without getting a result. 

That victory has altered the perception of the start of their campaign. Given all the context, one win, two draws, and a defeat isn't a bad start. If they had gone into this break winless, a few concerns would have begun to creep into supporters' minds. 

For me, it was even bigger that Norwich were able to keep a clean sheet. Angus Gunn and the whole defence will feel a foot taller after seeing it out at Coventry, it also takes the pressure off their attacking players if they can maintain that defensive solidity.